‘Kanye West for president’ a hit on social media

Rapper, who announced he wants to run for president in 2020, is quiet, but #kanye2020 is doing the rounds

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They’ve got to be joking, right? Wrong. If there’s one thing November 8 taught us, it’s that entertainment and American politics are not exactly mutually exclusive. Enter Kanye West for president.

The rapper and husband of reality TV star Kim Kardashian West announced at the 2015 Video Music Awards that he planned on making a bid for the highest office in the land.

“And yes, as you probably could’ve guessed by this moment I have decided in 2020 to run for president,” said West, after admitting that he had smoked “something” to knock the edge off before he accepted MTV’s Vanguard award. After that announcement, West dropped the mic and waltzed off the stage while the crowd went wild.

That was more than a year ago, but on Tuesday night, emboldened by Trump’s stunning win, West fans (and potential voters) picked up the rapper’s mantle anew. The hashtag #kanye2020 started to gain steam on Twitter.

For his part, West, whose last tweet was a happy birthday message to his wife, Kim, has remained silent on social media. But in August, he told BBC Radio 1 that he was concerned about issues such as police brutality and wanted to do something to “make a difference” in his lifetime.

“When I talk about the idea of being president, I’m not saying I have any political views,” the rapper said. “I just have a view on humanity, on people, on the truth.”

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